Chapter 7 Cang Yu only needs to die once.
The meteorite had been in the furnace for many days, the furnace blazing fiercely, the blue smoke rising straight into the sky and lingering for a long time, but the meteorite at the bottom of the furnace showed no sign of melting. Several sword servants carrying silver charcoal hurriedly pushed past A-Jiu and his group, A-Jiu's clean brocade clothes were instantly stained gray and black, and Cang Yu, who was following behind him, opened his mouth to berate people, but A-Jiu shook his head to stop him, and Cang Yu could only hum softly.
"The island lord summoned us here, how can we allow them to act recklessly?" someone said indignantly.
"The Heavenly Furnace is the treasure of this town. How dare you and I act so presumptuously before it?"
The boys, finding Ajiu's words reasonable, held their swords in their hands and remained silent.
The swordsman carried a large basket up the several-foot-high furnace, shouting as he poured in two more baskets of silver charcoal. The flames hissed and leaped half a foot high. The old blacksmith at the top of the furnace peered at the bottom for a moment, then shook his head at Pei Yuan. Curious, the swordsman also secretly went to look. For seven whole days, the stone hadn't changed a single thing. It hadn't melted, and its size hadn't shrunk even slightly. The group exchanged bewildered glances. Was there really something the furnace couldn't melt?
"Master, the swordsman has arrived."
Pei Yuan seemed not to hear, and looked at Pei Chu sitting on the bamboo chair beside him, his big eyes filled with deep sorrow, "The meteorite is not melting, and if it can't be melted, it can't be cast. Chu'er, do you have any ideas?"
"The sword workshop uses the finest iron from the five mountains and the purest gold from the six directions for forging, waiting for the opportune moment to open the furnace," Pei Chu said softly. "Ordinary sword forging uses copper and stone, which melts in half a day in the furnace. Even the hardest black iron, once placed in the heavenly furnace, will turn into molten iron in seven days at most. Meteorite is a flying stone from outer space, with a melting point even higher than black iron... But this has been the first time I've seen it without any sign of melting for seven whole days." Pei Chu frowned slightly. "Father, give me some more time."
“We don’t have much time left.” Pei Yuan sighed deeply. “There are very few craftsmen in the workshop, and we haven’t cast anything for decades. I’m afraid we can’t be confident in relying solely on the Heavenly Furnace.”
The swordsmen were seeing the legendary Heavenly Furnace for the first time, and they all looked up curiously. The Heavenly Furnace, which made Xingguofang famous, was built by their ancestor Pei Chong, who traveled thousands of miles to southern Yunnan, spending three years mining cinnabar stone and then another year firing it into red bricks to be transported back to the workshop and used to build the furnace. The Heavenly Furnace's fire never went out, and it only burned silver charcoal. Ten loads of black charcoal were needed to refine one basket of silver charcoal, making it extremely precious. Ordinary furnaces required forty-nine days to forge black iron, but the Heavenly Furnace could melt it all in just seven days, demonstrating its incredible power.
Pei Yuan strode onto the Heavenly Furnace, its raging flames almost scorching his sleeves, casting a crimson glow on his graying temples. Pei Yuan showed no fear. When the Pei family left the capital for the island, they never forgot to take the Heavenly Furnace with them, no matter how far they traveled. The Pei family had lived alongside fire for generations; how could he fear it? If the fire burned, he would live; if the fire died, he would perish.
"Master." Looking up at Pei Yuan in the firelight, a young man shivered. "Master, be careful."
Upon hearing the voice, Pei Chu looked at the several unfamiliar faces standing to the side. Seeing their attire, she already knew what was going on. "Scared?"
“In response to your question, young master,” Cang Yu interjected, “we really don’t know how to write the word ‘fear’.”
Pei Chu glanced at the young and arrogant faces of the swordsmen. At sixteen or seventeen years old, they were all the best on the island. They shouldn't know what "fear" was. Only he, with his crippled legs, would hesitate.
Pei Bi was somewhat displeased with Cang Yu's rudeness and sneered, "Since you don't know what fear is, then you'll do whatever the shopkeeper asks of you without a second thought?"
“Of course.” Cang Yu replied without hesitation, “As a swordsman in this brothel, I would gladly die for it.”
“You don’t need to die ten thousand times.” Pei Bi pointed at the Heavenly Furnace. “Dying once is enough.”
“This…” Cang Yu trembled, not knowing what Pei’s dagger was referring to. “Please enlighten me, Steward Pei.”
"That's enough." Pei Chu gestured for Pei Bi to push him away. "Youthful spirits are nothing to be taken seriously. Push me to the Sword Pavilion. The most urgent thing is to melt that stone first." Pei Chu remembered something and turned back to say, "Playing with swords is not a long-term solution. If you really don't know how to write, come to my school."
"Yes...yes..." Cang Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his words slurred. "Did I say something wrong?" Cang Yu nudged A Jiu with the hilt of his sword.
"Young Master won't stoop to your level." Ajiu stared at Pei Yuan as he walked towards her, raising her head and straightening her neck.
"I summoned you here today," Pei Yuan said, his usual imposing manner returning. "Do you know why?"
The swordsmen looked at each other, and Cang Yu's soul was still out of the world, so they couldn't say anything. Ajiu stepped forward and said calmly, "The sect leader wants his subordinates to witness how the meteorite is forged. When the sword is completed, his subordinates will cherish this hard-won treasure even more and will do their best to try to complete this sword."
"Hahahaha." Pei Yuan let out a long-absent laugh. "You actually understand this old man? What's your name?"
"Your subordinate, Ajiu."
"I've remembered you." Pei Yuan gently pressed Ajiu's shoulder with his palm.
Cang Yu, who was watching with envy, came to his senses and said, "This subordinate is called Cang Yu."
“I recognize you.” Pei Yuan withdrew his hand. “Your name is Lou Cangyu, but everyone calls you Little Stone. Your father died early, and your mother was a sword slave in the brothel. You look much the same as when you were young. I remember your face.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the other boys' expressions changed slightly. Cang Yu lowered his head and bit his lip, and the sweat he had just wiped away seeped out again.
“You are the most outstanding swordsmen on Canglang Island.” Pei Yuan looked at each of you one by one. “I also want to know which of you can wield this Meteor Sword.”
Looking back at the furnace with its thick smoke shooting into the sky, Ajiu wondered if it could actually melt the meteorite, or rather, Ajiu hoped even more that she could obtain the sword.
Rongdu, the capital of the Jin Kingdom
In the imperial study, Emperor Mu You of Jin was waiting for someone to return. That person, as the Imperial Preceptor, never wore Jin's official robes when entering or leaving the palace. Instead, he wore a black cloak, the wide brim of which covered most of his face, but the gold-embroidered veil over his left eye and the mysterious tattoo on his cheek were still faintly visible. His remaining eye shone with a sharper light than anyone else's. Facing the supreme emperor of Jin, there was not a trace of caution on his face, only an unwavering confidence.
"Mr. Cui, you've returned early." Mu You smiled. "Seeing that you came to see me alone, you must have already delivered the gifts."
“What I am delivering is His Majesty’s grace. Since it is a grace, how could Xingguo Ward refuse it?” Cui Jin said calmly.
Mu You dismissed the palace servants, "The Pei family has been away from the capital for decades, is that stove still burning?"
“The thick smoke on Canglang Island is lingering, so the furnace must be burning.” Cui Jin took a few steps closer. “The Heavenly Furnace is the Pei family’s treasure. As long as the person lives in the furnace, the furnace will live; if the furnace goes out, the person will die. Unless the Pei family is wiped out, the flame must be protected.”
"Can the Heavenly Furnace melt meteorites?" Mu You gently stroked the armrest of his chair, glancing at Cui Jin with his wise eyes.
Cui Jin stared at Mu You with his single eye. Mu You was nearly fifty years old. Although he still maintained the appearance of a young man, his mottled hair showed that he was gradually getting old. He was unwilling to grow old. When he asked about the meteorite, his slightly sunken eyes revealed a bright light. He wished he could witness it in his limited years.
"I dare not guarantee it."
“I didn’t ask you to vouch for me.” Mu You said with some displeasure. “I was just thinking that the Pei family has been away from Rongdu for decades and has been isolated from the world ever since. Do they still have the skills they had back then? Even if the Heavenly Furnace is still there, skills will either improve or decline. I… am worried that the meteorite that you sent, Grand Preceptor… will just be a waste of their time.”
"Back then," Mu You recalled what he had heard decades ago, so long ago that he only heard it from the late emperor. But whenever he thought of it, a long-lost surge of emotion would still rise within him. "The Pei and Lu families were vying for the right to manufacture weapons for the imperial court. The two families made a solemn oath: the loser would have to leave with his entire clan, and his descendants would never set foot in Rongdu again. The Pei family was defeated and retreated to Canglang Island. Nearly three generations have passed since then. Unexpectedly, a hundred years later, fate has turned, and what the Lu family failed to accomplish has ended up in the hands of the Pei family..."
"Mr. Cui, do you know that it was an unprecedented sword trial?" Mu You's face flushed red. "The best weapon workshop in the world, the two top swordsmen. The late emperor would always sigh when he mentioned it. For the Lu family's Tianhu Workshop, Xingguo Workshop was its best opponent. Compared to the two, Tianhu Workshop gained but lost progress, while Xingguo Workshop left the capital but retained its ambition. Looking at the bigger picture, Tianhu Workshop lost more."
"— Judging from His Majesty's words, even if Xingguo Workshop cannot melt the meteorite, you will still summon them back to the capital."
“Chen Bi said,” Mu You calmed down, “Since the Blood Crossbow Case, the casting techniques of Jin have declined rapidly and have not been able to improve for decades. This case has a wide reach, and almost every weapon workshop with a name is involved. Although it has gradually subsided in recent years, outside the imperial workshops, it is impossible to find a decent casting master. If this continues, the skills will not improve, which is definitely not a good thing for Jin.”
"Your Majesty always says that His Highness the Crown Prince is unruly and difficult to control. In my opinion, how is the Crown Prince unruly? Isn't his mind focused on governing the country and strengthening the army?" Cui Jin said with a smile. "Every word he said makes sense, and his thinking is quite profound."
"Oh?" Mu You laughed heartily. "I thought you taught him to say these words." Mu You paused, remembering something. "Of all the weapon workshops in Jin, only Xingguo Workshop is still worth mentioning. However, since the right to manufacture weapons was taken back from the outer workshops and replaced by the inner workshops of the court, the power of casting has been in the hands of a few large households. They are used to taking advantage of the situation, and when Xingguo Workshop returns to the capital, I'm afraid it will cause trouble."
Cui Jin remained calm, clearly not finding these difficulties difficult. "Their cakes were originally bestowed by the Emperor. Whoever the Emperor wants to eat cakes can naturally be given them. As long as Xingguofang returns to the capital, I have ways to make those people obediently present the cakes. As for whether to give them to Xingguofang, how many to eat, and for how long, it is all up to the Emperor."
Mu You suddenly understood. "Mr. Cui is indeed a master. Once Xingguo Fang leaves the island, they will be grateful to me. They have been on Canglang Island for so many years, and Rongdu has long lost its roots and connections with them. Naturally, they will not be used by anyone... except me." Mu You thought deeply and slammed his palm on the table. "Cui Jin, your mind is really sharp. Xingguo Fang... I originally had no pieces to play, but now I have good pieces in my hand. You can even turn a dead piece into a living one!"
“The child is in the box, and it will be used on the day it is opened, even if the child dies.” Cui Jin’s face remained expressionless.
On the palace path, Cui Jin, draped in a black cloak, walked at a leisurely pace. The palace servants along the way treated this terrifying-looking Grand Preceptor with utmost respect. Cui Jin kept his eyes straight ahead, his single eye fixed on the person waiting for him at the corner of the wall not far away, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.
The man wore a bright yellow satin robe with dragon patterns, a white jade dragon buckle around his waist, and a yellow tassel hanging down, swaying gently with his steps. His hair was tied with a gold crown inlaid with green jade, and his neat sideburns accentuated his sharp features. His sword-like eyebrows were proud and extended to his temples, and his long eyelashes were like black phoenix feathers made of lacquer, making his eyes bright and spirited. Although he was clearly a person who had grown up in the deep palace, his skin was not the pampered whiteness, but had a healthy tan, which made his handsome appearance more heroic and martial. He was not like royalty, but more like a young general who had galloped across the battlefield.
He was Mu Chenbi, the eldest son of Emperor Mu You of Jin and the Crown Prince of Jin.
A note from the author:
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