Chapter 151 Senior Brother, Why Don't You Come With Me?
He climbed onto Hu Xian's ship and left Canglang Island. He sneaked into Rongdu, found the Mei family, and retrieved 100,000 taels of silver. A beautiful picture seemed to be unfolding before his eyes. Xiao Ma was planning his departure. He didn't care whether he could forge the Meteor Sword or not. He would leave whether he forged it or not.
Who knew... Xiao Ma would find a pile of copper coins next to the skeletons in the mine... On the large ship back to Rongdu from Xingguofang, Xiao Ma leaned against the red bricks of the furnace, rummaging through the copper coins. When they arrived in Rongdu, the silver was taken out and disappeared without a trace. He could laugh himself to sleep. Until Xiao Ma discovered that the copper coins next to the skeletons and the three coins his father had hidden were from the same furnace... all made by his grandfather... fake copper coins.
As if struck by a club, Xiao Ma was stunned. Who was that skeleton? Why had it died so quietly in the island's mines? And why was it carrying the copper coins his grandfather had minted? Xiao Ma had just kowtowed before Pei Chong's grave, begging for his protection, and now he'd encountered a dead body. He'd initially thought it was incredibly unlucky, but could it be... Pei Chong's spirit guiding him from heaven? Not only guiding him, but it had also sensed Xiao Ma's growing reluctance to leave. The skeleton was shocking, the injustice etched into his bones. Could 100,000 taels of silver really tempt the mind of the Ma family's descendant?
Xiao Ma thought of his father who died unjustly, his mother who fell into the river in a daze, and his grandfather whom he had never met. His grandfather was so brave and fearless. Why did he want to run away?
Looking back now, Grandpa knew the truth. Ma Yi knew that the Ma family was powerless to resist, so he was willing to risk his own life to save others. If Xiao Ma is not mistaken, Grandpa's life alone was not enough to make that person let the Ma family go. Grandpa must have held some bargaining chips that that person could not refuse, forcing him to spare Ma Yanyu and his wife's lives.
Ma Yi thought his death would make his descendants willingly lie low, but little did he know that his纨绔子弟 (son of a spoiled, dissolute family) son would hide the few remaining pieces of evidence and travel thousands of miles to Lingnan to bring them. Ma Yanyu never wanted to clear the name of the Ma family. What he could not do, he would definitely want his son Ma Lin to do.
If his father had known, Ma Lin might have risked his life to fight back. Would his parents have tried to persuade him to give up? But they are both gone now, and no one can stop Ma Lin now.
"There are some things I haven't figured out yet." Xiao Ma released his grip on Mei Xiaoqing's hand, stood up, and gazed at the distant Phoenix Perch Mountain. The setting sun cast a rosy glow across the sky. The sun may set, but it will rise again tomorrow. Even if they don't see tomorrow's sun, they can still enjoy the magnificent sunset together. Ma Lin has no regrets. "When the time is right..."
"When will we arrive?" Mei Xiaoqing hugged Xiao Ma. "You said you wouldn't leave me."
Xiao Ma chuckled softly, "I didn't leave. My legs are numb from sitting for so long, and it'll be dark soon if I don't go down the mountain." He then reached out his hand to Mei Xiaoqing, "I'm leaving."
On the mountain path where the snow hadn't yet slipped, their footsteps were uneven, but they were no longer alone.
In Xingguo Ward, cartloads of miscellaneous copper swords were transported in. The Salt and Iron Bureau ordered Xingguo Ward to extract the brass from the miscellaneous copper swords, and the Salt and Iron Bureau would collect the extraction monthly until the replacement of hundreds of thousands of military weapons was completed.
This job isn't difficult, but... why is it Xingguo Workshop that's in charge of copper smelting? Who will be in charge of casting the new military equipment?
"Who else could it be?" Wan Qixi, who was escorting the mixed copper swords, narrowed his eyes. "There are only two major workshops in Jin State now. Your family refines copper, so of course it is the inner workshop that forges swords."
"All the weapons were forged by the Imperial Workshop?" Pei Yuan frowned. "Such a large quantity, could Xingguo Workshop also share the burden..."
Wan Qixi sat cross-legged on the empty oxcart, waving his hand and saying, "No need. Miss Wushuang from the inner workshop has a secret technique to aid combustion. Tieying can refine Xuan Tie into refined steel in a day. The efficiency is so high that she can forge a hundred or so a day. Even hundreds of thousands won't take long." Wan Qixi glanced at Pei Yuan's face, chuckled dryly, and said, "Master Pei, are you dissatisfied with the brass smelting job at Xingguo Workshop? Would you like me to go to the Salt and Iron Bureau to deliver a message? How about redistributing the work?"
Pei Yuan snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said, "How could I dare to complain? Smelting copper and forging swords are both for the benefit of the country, and there is no distinction between what is important and what is not."
"That's more like it." Wanqi Xi jumped off the oxcart, looking around, and asked, "Where's Guan Yatou?"
Pei Yuan pointed to the foundry, and Wan Qixi strode over there as if he knew the way well. As he walked, he looked up again at the furnace with thick smoke shooting into the sky, and snorted disdainfully. "That big, stupid furnace takes up most of the foundry, a waste of labor and materials. I'll tear it down later."
The Heavenly Furnace was unbearable to look at, but Guan Ye's skills... were quite impressive. Her movements and expressions were exactly like a female version of Guan Xiaotian, especially the way she held her sword horizontally while observing, as if there was only her and this sword in the world, and nothing else.
The only difference was that Guan Ye was much smaller than her father. Women are thin and weak. She could carry a fifty-pound bag, but she was still no match for a burly man. This girl was also clever enough to forge a smaller iron hammer for herself. She estimated that it weighed about twenty pounds. The hammer was small but the strength was not small. She was very focused on forging the hammer. Her face was covered with beads of sweat. The sweat fell into the burning fire and made a sizzling sound. She didn't even notice the sparks that splashed onto the back of her hand.
Of all the 360 professions, why choose the hardest and most tiring one? Seriously… she must be out of her mind. No wonder nobody cares. Wan Qixi pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. According to seniority, he was Guan Yatou's senior brother… so he figured he might as well… take pity on her.
Before Wanqixi could feel sorry for her, Ajiu seemed to emerge from underground, pulled Guanye's hand close to her lips, and blew on the spot where sparks had splashed. With one hand, she picked up her sleeve and wiped the sweat off Guanye's face, her brows and heart filled with affection.
"Wanqixi, what brings you here?" Guan Ye asked, holding Ajiu's hand. "What are you doing with that handkerchief?"
Wanqi Xi rubbed her hands with a handkerchief and then put it back in her pocket. "I like cleanliness. I have to wipe myself after I finish my work. You're quite the busybody."
Upon seeing Wanqixi, Ajiu's eyes flashed with wariness. This expression, of course, did not escape Wanqixi's notice. Wanqixi pretended to be indifferent, took a few steps closer to Guan Ye, casually glanced at it, and narrowly examined the iron blade that Guan Ye had just forged. He pointed at it with a finger and said, "Look, it's not bad, is it? The blade is thin, it's translucent, and the shape is quite exquisite. For a place like Xingguofang, it's not bad to have something like this forged."
Guan Ye picked up the uncooked iron blade. "I didn't realize you were somewhat of an expert. You keep looking down on Xingguofang. What? You can do it too?"
Wan Qixi looked disgusted and dodged the sparks from the blade. "Don't you know what I do for a living? It's you who's chosen this job. Look at Song Er, he's living the high life with me. Why don't you come with me?"
“Guan Ye is not you. She has great ambitions and walks the right path.” A Jiu blocked Wan Qixi’s ambiguous gaze.
Wanqixi confronted Ajiu without backing down, "So, I'm following a crooked path? May I ask this swordsman, what righteous path do you follow?"
"Enough." Guan Ye called out to the two of them. Seeing that it was time to quench the iron blade, Guan Ye clamped it tightly and put it into the prepared cold water. Bubbles rose and the quenching was complete. The sharp blade was ready. Guan Ye looked back at A Jiu, her lips curving into a happy smile.
—"Raise your sword!"
Guan Xiaotian raised the quenched sword blade high above his head.
"Give it to me, give it to me, Master!" Lu Xiaojun jumped up and down, trying to snatch the sword he had just forged.
"The sword hasn't even been sharpened yet, why are you in such a hurry? Young master, sword forging requires the most patience. You are too impatient. You still need to temper your temper." Guan Xiaotian tested the temperature of the sword, and his rough palms carefully touched every part of the short sword to make sure it wouldn't hurt the young Lu Xiaojun before handing over the newly forged short sword.
Wan Qixi, as if possessed, stretched out his hand to Guan Ye, "Give it to me..." Guan Ye gently stroked the sword in her palm to test its temperature, and then examined every part of the blade before handing it to Wan Qixi, "Take the sword."
"Young master, take the sword!"
"A sword that hasn't been sharpened? When will Master sharpen it for Xiaoyun?" Lu Xiaoyun asked eagerly.
"An unsharpened sword..." Wan Qixi touched the blade. "And you're being this careful? Do you think I'm some immature kid?"
"—Wait until…" Guan Xiaotian wiped his stubble, "Oh, wait until your sister gives you permission, then I'll sharpen your blade."
Guan Ye wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Sharpening? Are you in such a hurry to slaughter a pig or a sheep? Wan Qixi, you're too impatient. You're not just wet behind the ears, you're an old man who's not as good as a child."
These words seem familiar… A trace of melancholy flashed across Wan Qixi’s narrow eyes. Then, seeing the same air about Guan Ye as Guan Xiaotian, Wan Qixi suddenly pointed his sword at Guan Ye, “Slaughtering pigs and sheep? Couldn’t it be… murder?”
Just as Ajiu was about to make a move, Guan Ye pinched the thin blade between two fingers and chuckled, "You're carrying around the old horizontal sword, waiting for it to be sharpened and used to kill people? Only a child would hold an unsharpened sword to scare people. Wanqixi, you're getting younger and younger."
Wanqi Xi flicked his wrist, turning the sword hilt back to Guan Ye, and asked, "When do you plan to sharpen this sword?"
Guan Ye replied, "When...when I want to."
"Hahahaha." Wan Qixi laughed loudly, "If you want it back, hurry up, starting today, Xingguo Workshop will be smelting copper."
"Copper smelting?" Guan Ye took a half step forward. "The miscellaneous copper sword has already been delivered?"
Seeing that Guan Ye remained calm and showed no sign of the disappointment he had expected, Wan Qixi asked suspiciously, "Copper refining, huh? The Pei family's prized Heavenly Furnace, you're willing to waste such a great talent?"
Guan Ye punched Wan Qixi on the shoulder, saying, "Skills may vary, but there's no such thing as a great craftsman. With your mindset, you're just a pawn in this business."
Wan Qixi was so angry at the retort that his face turned pale. "There's no such thing as a noble or lowly profession. Your perspective isn't very broad either."
"You!" Guan Ye was speechless for a moment.
"Haha." Wan Qixi beckoned to Guan Ye with his finger, "Come on, let's go again. If I can't win against you, I'm not your... not your grandpa."
Ah Jiu observed the two men, neither willing to back down, their verbal sparring fiercely. That night, Wan Qixi, who had revealed his identity to her, exuded hatred that seemed to seep through his blade, his murderous aura piercing her. But today, seeing Guan Ye, his narrow eyes held a hint of pity. Their exchange was like that of old friends reminiscing, barbed yet gently narrated. Yes… according to seniority, Guan Ye should still call Lu Xiaoyun “Senior Brother.”
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