Chapter 10 Who is the destined one among the shooting stars?
"Ah." Guan Ye's eyes twitched. "He poked his own left eye. He blinded himself in that eye."
"Cui Jin said that he couldn't refuse the emperor's sincerity, nor could he betray the Daoist teachings he had devoted half his life to. So he gouged out one eye to die for his cause, only then could he be at peace as the Grand Preceptor of the Great Jin. So, you have to give to receive. He lost an eye, but in return, he became second only to the emperor. Cui Jin wielded immense power, and when he went to sea, he rode in a dragon boat bestowed by the emperor. Seeing him was like seeing the emperor himself." Ajiu suddenly poked Guan Ye's left eye, but stopped abruptly in mid-air just as she was startled. Seeing that she was frightened, Ajiu laughed triumphantly.
"How did you know that?" Guan Ye asked, her face flushed with anger. "Who knows if you're just making this up?"
"If you don't believe me, just treat it as a story." Ajiu said nonchalantly, "I've kept my promise to you. It's your turn. Tell me about meteorites. How much do you know about them?"
"Meteorite, as its name suggests, is a meteorite that flew from outer space. That's all I know," Guan Ye said, shrugging.
“No weapon workshop in the world can melt meteorite.” Ajiu fell into deep thought. “Only by melting the stone to forge weapons can Xingguo Workshop return to Rongdu. The workshop master wants to leave this place.”
"Why do you want to leave?" Guan Ye asked, puzzled. "Isn't it good here?"
“The island is like a walled city; those outside want to get in, and those inside want to get out.” Ajiu seemed to find it somewhat absurd. “But if we don’t find a way to leave, Canglang Island will be deserted in thirty to fifty years.”
Seeing that Guan Ye didn't understand, A Jiu sighed softly, "There are less than a hundred able-bodied people left on the island. Every family is related by blood. The children born in recent years are either mentally challenged or disabled. If this continues, it will become a dead island. The Pei family has been lying low for many years. The owner of the village definitely doesn't want his family to die out here."
Ah… Guan Ye suddenly realized, no wonder Aunt Lou arranged for her to stay at her home. What's that saying again—"being near the water tower, one gets the moon first"? Guan Ye turned around and pushed open the window—the two Lou brothers, no, no, she had only met Lou Cangyu a few times? They didn't even exchange a few words before they started to dislike each other; Lou Shitou… Lou Shitou treated her well, but it was definitely not to the point of romance. Wait, Guan Ye rubbed her eyes and looked over, and saw Lou Shitou squatting by the well, carefully washing that silk handkerchief—Jiang Muyun's silk handkerchief.
As he washed, Lou Shitou mumbled something that sounded like he was humming a little tune. The soap powder was Lou's aunt's treasure; she was afraid that others would steal it, so she didn't even know where Guan Ye hid it. But Lou Shitou found it, poured out a huge dollop, and rinsed it with well water again and again. Lou Shitou then placed the clean, damp cloth on his face, tilted his head back, and sighed contentedly, looking incredibly pleased with himself.
Amitabha, Amitabha, neither of Lou's two sons should be interested in her. Wait a little longer. Guan Ye's heart sank. What was it about her that made her undesirable? She had spent three years with Lou Shitou, yet he was not as good as the handkerchief Jiang Muyun had given her.
Ajiu stared intently at Guan Ye's fluctuating expressions, "What are you thinking about?"
"Why are you still lingering here?" Guan Ye closed the window.
"Lou Shitou, you idiot!" A piercing scream suddenly rang out from outside. Aunt Lou cursed and rushed towards the well. "This soap powder was a gift from Steward Pei! You're going to die!"
Lou Shitou jumped in fright, not caring that the handkerchief was still wet, he hid it in his arms and ran out of the courtyard gate.
He deserved it. Guan Ye wrinkled her nose, and A Jiu paused for a moment, sword in hand. "I will come back to find you."
“On Canglang Island, as long as we don’t cause trouble, there’s probably not much we need from each other.” Guan Ye suddenly admired Jiang Muyun; even a casual remark contained great wisdom.
“Who says I can only come to you when I need something?” Ajiu turned her back, suppressing a laugh. “We’re in the same boat.”
There seemed to be nothing wrong with that statement. Guan Ye's red lips parted slightly, unsure how to respond. Outside the courtyard, seeing A Jiu come out, Lou Cangyu nodded to him, glancing at Guan Ye's pristine face as if he didn't even see her.
Xingguofang, Jiange
It was nearly midnight. The candlelight flickered in the Sword Pavilion, illuminating Pei Chu's frail figure on the bamboo chair. He had been engrossed in his studies for a long time without moving. When the door opened, Pei Yuan saw that the food delivered in the evening had not been touched. He pressed his rough palms against the chair handle and let out a pitiful sigh.
Seeing his son staring intently, Pei Yuan quietly turned away, his pale eyes fixed on the hanging broken sword—the longsword was broken into three sections, the blade a pale gold color. An expert would immediately recognize it as being forged from corundum refined from the northern desert. Corundum is far harder than black iron, and ordinary furnaces simply cannot melt it. The Pei family's heavenly furnace burned for ten days and ten nights to melt the corundum into a slurry. When the slurry was melting, it was shimmering with iridescent light. While it was still hot, it was poured into a mold and shaped. It was then poured into the coolest spring water to solidify for seven days. The best blacksmith in Xingguo Ward fasted for three days to hammer it into shape. The sword was then polished with the hardest and sharpest bright stone. After more than twenty days, it was finally completed. His ancestor, Pei Chong, loved it dearly and called it the "Flowing Gold Sword."
The Golden Sword can cut through iron like mud. When it was tested before the emperor, Pei Chong wielded this sword and won five battles in a row. He and Lu Wenting, a swordsman from Tianhu Workshop, stood proudly in the hall.
Pei Chong left with the broken sword. The blacksmith of the Flowing Gold Sword, unable to bear the humiliation, smashed his head against the sword and died. No one believed that the indestructible Flowing Gold Sword could be broken to this point by another sword.
"What weapon did the Lu family of Tianhufang use to cut the Flowing Gold Sword?" Pei Chu put down the book in his hand at some point.
Pei Yuan had never seen that sword. According to the Pei family, Lu Wenting used an extremely ordinary sword. "Our ancestor said that the Lu family's sword was nothing special... It was the color of black iron, and when held up to the sun, it would show a five-colored light. He pondered it until his death but could not figure out its mystery."
"Everything in the world has its counter, so what is the nemesis of diamond?"
“It’s hard to find a mineral harder than diamond in the world,” Pei Yuan pondered. “If I had to name one, it would probably be… an unmeltable meteorite.”
“I don’t think so.” Pei Chu shook his head. “There are countless minerals in the world, but only about a dozen are known to the public. Our ancestors thought diamonds were the best among them, but perhaps Tianhu Workshop has found something even more powerful…”
“You’re wrong,” Pei Yuan interrupted his son. “The Great Jin Dynasty operates on an outer workshop system, where weapons are manufactured for the imperial court. Private workshops must report all materials used to the inner workshops of the court and register them. If any is concealed, it will be a serious crime. Casting is a vital national skill, and there can be no room for carelessness; otherwise, one could lose their head. The materials used by Tianhu Workshop must also be on the register. Everyone knows the materials on the register. Our ancestors racked their brains until their deaths, but they still couldn’t understand where we lost.”
"How did we end up talking about the Golden Sword again?" Pei Yuan pounded his palm. "The most urgent thing is still the Meteor Stone. Chu'er, have you thought of a way?"
Pei Chu turned around in the bamboo chair, rubbing his aching temples, and closed his eyes, saying, "The time it takes for the ore to melt depends on its melting point. The Heavenly Furnace is made of red bricks, and the Yunnan cinnabar is dense and can concentrate fire and heat. When it is burned with extremely pure silver charcoal, its efficiency is far greater than that of ordinary furnaces. Meteorite has a very high melting point, which exceeds the fire that our Heavenly Furnace can concentrate. If we rely solely on external force to burn it, even if we burn it day and night for a year or two, I'm afraid we won't be able to melt even a little bit."
"What if we add double the amount of silver charcoal?" Pei Yuan pressed.
“Father.” Pei Chu’s face turned pale as he saw that he still did not understand his meaning. “The external force has reached its limit. It is no longer possible to melt the meteorite.”
"Is there another way?" Pei Yuancang's eyes darkened. "Could it be..."
“It’s not necessary to leave the island.” Pei Chu seemed to know what he was thinking. “Aren’t we doing just fine now? We’ll return the meteorite exactly as it came from when the time comes. Nobody else can do that, so why should we be expected to? Besides… Xingguo Ward hasn’t opened its furnaces to cast anything for decades, keeping to itself and not getting involved in worldly affairs. I believe the Emperor won’t make things difficult for us.”
"Is this good?" Pei Yuan stared at his son's crippled leg. "You think this is good?"
Pei Chu smiled faintly, "I am the one who is disabled, and I don't feel anything about it. Why should Father feel sorry for me? When you live this life, you should live it well and not worry about anything else. Besides, if someone feels that this life is not good, they are only suffering in this life. Why should we pass on the torch and make future generations suffer in the next round?"
"You!" Pei Yuan was speechless for a moment, his son blocking his way. He then overturned the bowls and plates on the table. "You just said that the external force of the Heavenly Furnace has reached its limit. If you want to try it again, you can only work on your internal force."
Pei Bi, who was waiting outside, rushed in upon hearing the noise. Seeing the father and son locked in a tense standoff with grim expressions, he quickly retreated.
“Pei Bi”.
"Your subordinate is here." Pei Bi stopped in his tracks.
"How many people are left on the island?" Pei Yuan's voice boomed like thunder, and Pei Chu raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Including everything... it's less than two hundred." Pei Bi asked this question again, flustered and unsure why he had brought it up again.
“Meteorites are divine objects from outer space, while humans are the most intelligent of all beings.” Pei Yuan’s aura was palpable, and the candlelight in the pavilion flickered violently. “Choose one person to sacrifice themselves for the furnace.” Pei Yuan glared at Pei Chu’s terrified face. “If we can get the protection of the furnace god, perhaps we can succeed.”
"Father!" Pei Chu struggled to say, "The idea of sacrificing living people to the furnace is utter nonsense. Not only can it not melt meteorites, but it also wastes people's lives. Father, the area outside the island may not be as good as this place, so why are you so stubborn!"
Pei Yuan took a deep breath, clearly having made up his mind. "You said it yourself: if you feel this life is not good, then you can only suffer in this world. Life on the island is too bitter. Being chosen to be sacrificed in the furnace to quickly end this life of endless suffering, I am still helping him to find relief."
"Father." Pei Chu braced himself against the chair armrests, he had never wanted to stand up like this before. "Even if you sacrifice ten or a hundred people, exhaust everyone's lives, you still can't melt the meteorite. Father, you can't!"
“We don’t need so many people,” Pei Yuan sneered. “One person is enough.” Pei Yuan gestured for Pei Bi to come closer. Pei Bi was already dumbfounded and hesitated for a moment before stepping forward tremblingly. “The Casting Classic records that pure Yang cannot grow, and pure Yin cannot be born. When Yin and Yang combine, all things grow. The Heavenly Furnace has a strong Yang fire. To find someone to perform the furnace-worshiping ceremony, they must have a pure Yin constitution. Tomorrow, you will use the name of the workshop to collect everyone’s birth dates and times. I also want to know who the destined person is.”
“Father…” Pei Chu’s face was as pale as silk, “It’s no use.”
"How will you know if you don't try?" The night wind swept through the window, and Pei Yuan's voice was like a ghost as he pushed the door open and left. "If it doesn't work, it's not too late to accept your fate."
A note from the author:
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