ATPnovel Chapter 95 Divine Iron
Chapter 95 Divine Iron
Chapter 95 Divine Iron (4,000 words)
Southwest of Jing Kingdom.
This place originally belonged to the barbarians, but after the Battle of Yixiantian, the barbarians were completely wiped out.
From being the overlords of the mountains and forests, they were reduced to slaves.
General Han Shizhong, though he did not proclaim himself a king, was known by everyone as the King of the Southwest.
On a hilltop, a man with graying temples, dressed in armor, looked down at the barbarian slaves being whipped.
Han Shizhong wanted to build a Mingxin Hall in the mountains, comparable in scale to the Jing Kingdom's royal palace.
Large numbers of barbarian slaves worked day and night.
They were starving and cold, and would be beaten if they stopped for even a moment.
Many soldiers took pleasure in ravaging barbarians.
They didn't treat them like human beings at all, but like animals.
Over the course of more than a decade, the barbarians rebelled, but all their resistance was suppressed.
The older generation is all dead, but the hatred of the younger generation continues to spread.
"What is Lord Liao looking at?" A centurion dressed in light armor stepped forward.
Liao Shouyi withdrew his gaze from the slaves and looked at the centurion who had approached him, asking in return, "Do you miss home?"
The centurion was taken aback by the question and instinctively replied, "My home is right here. What are you thinking about?"
"I mean my old home," Liao Shouyi said.
Before the other person could answer, he continued, "My wife is getting old, and my son should be grown up too. Shouldn't we go back?"
A hint of wariness flashed in the centurion's eyes as he said, "The general has ordered that no one is allowed to enter or leave the southwest at will. How are we going to get back?"
Liao Shouyi looked at him, stood with his hands behind his back, and said, "You know, I joined the army to become the general that everyone admires in New Year's paintings. Now, the refugee army is rampant, but we are sitting here and ruling as kings."
"It will never be painted in a New Year's picture here."
The centurion said, "Sir, you are already a third-rank military officer, which is equivalent to a general. What difference does it make whether your portrait is on a New Year's picture or not?"
"As for the refugee army, it's just that the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War are incompetent; they can't even defeat a group of farmers."
Liao Shouyi shook his head, then suddenly said, "I remember you were a soldier in Yongji nine years ago?"
"Yes."
"In the ninth year of Yongji, a mere eleven years, he rose to the position of centurion without any military achievements. He was quite fortunate."
The centurion chuckled and said, "It's all thanks to your patronage, sir."
"I have never promoted you. I only like to promote men with guts, and you are not one of them."
Seeing the other party's embarrassed expression, Liao Shouyi said calmly, "I suppose this is the benefit of the General arranging for you to come here and keep an eye on me at all times."
These words sent chills down the centurion's spine, and he instinctively reached for the weapon at his waist.
"What do you mean by that?"
Liao Shouyi continued to look at him, his voice gradually lowering.
"It's nothing, I just want to go home."
The tenth year of Chongming.
Autumn.
Lieutenant General Liao Shouyi staged a mutiny and killed Han Shizhong, the King of the Southwest.
He led 30,000 troops out of the southwest and headed straight for the refugee army.
The end of the year is fast approaching.
Chu Xun stood by the Songliu River, where the water surged and the waves rolled in one after another.
I have been back in Songguo Village for half a year.
Over the past six months, he has tried many times and finally managed to extract a trace of Ren water essence from the river.
For a python to transform into a dragon, it must merge with the essence of Ren water in order to control the water.
But this stuff is really too difficult to condense; it takes ten days to condense even a trace of it.
Moreover, the essence of Ren water condensed from river water and well water is different.
The smaller the water source, the lighter the color of the essence of Ren water.
After multiple verifications, Chu De has basically confirmed that the essence of Ren water also has upper and lower parts.
Well water should be of a lower grade than river water, and river water should be of a lower grade than the Yangtze River.
The best, of course, is seawater.
However, the entire Jing Kingdom has never bordered the sea; it is said that the sea is only found in very, very far places.
Chu Xun flicked his hand, and a wisp of pale blue Ren water essence flew out.
Beneath the river's surface, a giant blue-white python suddenly leaped out and swallowed the essence whole.
It hissed and flicked its tongue, wagging its tail and shaking its head at Chu Xun, looking very happy.
Chu Xun said, "I can only feed you once every ten days. I don't know how long it will take to collect enough."
The blue-white python's body is now five zhang long, and it will grow even larger in the future.
The amount of Ren water essence needed will only be more, not less.
Transforming it into a dragon to protect the path is by no means an easy task.
But Chu still had to do it, after all, it concerned his next cultivation advancement and how long he could live.
"Immortality is not easy to achieve—"
After a few words of reflection, Chu Xun turned and left.
With the help of shrinking the distance to an inch, they returned to Pinecone Village in no time.
The villagers who were working in the fields all took the initiative to greet him.
In the past six months, Chu Xun has become very familiar with the villagers based on his understanding of them.
With this year's bumper harvest, the villagers have just finished harvesting rice and earned a lot of money.
Now they are busy tilling the fields, sowing seeds, and transplanting rice seedlings.
In the fields, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen ran over and cheerfully handed Chu Xun a handful of fried beans.
"I cooked this, you can try it."
Chu Xun now has fair skin and handsome features. Not to mention Songguo Village, you can't find a more handsome young man than him in the surrounding area.
In addition, the unique temperament and profound knowledge brought about by the Foundation Establishment stage truly make him just like the elegant young nobleman described in the book.
The young girls in the village adored Grandpa Chu's grandson.
He hadn't walked a few steps when another girl ran over and secretly slipped him a tender cucumber.
"They were just picked from the garden, washed clean, and are very crisp."
After saying that, the girl blushed and ran away.
Before long, Chu Xun received a slice of watermelon, a handful of melon seeds, and two cabbages.
In terms of popularity among young girls, she far surpasses her former self.
Holding a pile of food and drinks, Chu Xun couldn't help but think of Zhang Anxiu.
Once upon a time, a girl with similarly dark skin hid her water bag under her clothes and secretly gave it to him.
He could hear the shy giggles of the girls from time to time. Chu Xun sighed, picked up his things, and left.
With a thought, the soil in the field softened slightly.
Although it cannot replace tilling, it can save villagers a lot of effort.
They simply didn't notice anything amiss, assuming that they had managed the fields well over the past few years.
The girls, upon returning to their parents' side, were naturally met with a barrage of teasing.
But the villagers all knew perfectly well that if a girl from any family could really marry into that family, that family would be incredibly lucky.
The assets left by Xun Ge'er were truly immense, enough to last several lifetimes.
In addition, "Chu Chen" has delicate features and his every move exudes the demeanor of a wealthy family.
What family would be so proud to have such a son-in-law!
Unfortunately, this guy doesn't seem to be interested in the girls in the village.
He'll accept gifts if you give him something, but if you mention marriage and having children, he'll immediately fall silent.
The villagers thought he probably wouldn't be interested in the girls here.
Little did they know that in Chu Xun's eyes, these girls were all his granddaughters.
Even rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows!
Moreover, after the mental shock of Zhang Anxiu's departure, a mortal's lifespan of several decades seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye.
Chu didn't want to go through the same thing again.
As they passed by the Shi family's house, Liao Licheng, who was grinding medicinal herbs in the yard, called out, "Xiao Chen, did you practice your swordsmanship today? I'll come and see how you're doing after I finish grinding these herbs."
"I haven't practiced today," Chu Xun replied.
Since returning to Songguo Village, Liao Licheng has said that he is a good prospect for martial arts training and insisted on teaching him the six-style sword technique used in the army.
Worldly martial arts skills are of little significance to Chu Xun.
No matter how fancy the spell, it can't withstand a single magical attack.
But he knew that Liao Licheng had become very skilled with his sword over the years, but had no opportunity to use his skills, so he wanted to take the opportunity of teaching him to show off his abilities.
For the next six months, Liao Licheng frequently urged Chu Xun to practice his swordsmanship.
Qiaohua recently caught a cold, and Liao Licheng has been grinding and decocting medicine for her every day, so he has come less often.
Chu Xun glanced in the direction of the house and could clearly sense from the moisture in the air that the flower's condition had improved.
He nodded and said, "Then come over, let's have lunch together."
"Okay!"
A moment later, Qiaohua came out of the house.
Her face was still a little pale, but it was much better than a few days ago when she was so weak she couldn't walk.
She overheard her son's conversation with Chu Xun and said, "Stop bothering Xiao Chen all the time, aren't you afraid of bothering him?"
Liao Licheng said, "His temperament is similar to Grandpa Chu's; he's very patient, so how could he get annoyed?"
Upon arriving at his own residence, the gate was open, and Li Guangmao, with his gray hair, was carrying charcoal into the yard.
In the courtyard, a brick and stone furnace identical to the one used in the Cheng family's blacksmith shop was built.
Chu Xun has tried to forge some kitchen knives, hoes, iron shovels, and the like on his own, and his skills are already quite proficient.
He also infused these ironwares with some of the essence of metal.
At first, the villagers were quite surprised to see that he, a young man, had taken up the work of a blacksmith.
I just thought of it as something to do when I had nothing else to do, a way to pass the time.
The villagers were astonished when Liao Licheng picked up a kitchen knife and easily chopped down a wooden stake as thick as a thigh.
Even Old Sun, the most skilled blacksmith in the surrounding villages, couldn't forge a kitchen knife like this.
So sharp, it could practically cut a hair in two.
For a time, the ironware crafted by Chu Xun was extremely rare in Songguo Village.
He wasn't stingy; he made some for every household and also made a few swords for himself.
Although it was a waste of time, for Chu De, the important thing was that the villagers could benefit from it.
Most importantly, he has not yet obtained a divine stone that satisfies him.
Without divine stones, weapons forged from ordinary iron blanks can at most withstand a wisp of golden essence.
In the future, when dragons transform to protect the Dao, such mundane things will not suffice.
"We delivered another cartload of charcoal today; that should last you a while," Li Guangmao said, but showed no intention of leaving.
Chu Xun saw through his thoughts and asked, "Want to drink again?"
Li Guangmao chuckled, touched his bulbous nose, and said, "Just a little drink, a little drink."
Since Li Shoutian's death, Li Guangmao has returned to his former self, and he needs to drink two sips of water every day before he can fall asleep.
Everyone in the village knows that Bai Family Old Shop's Yu Nian Niang (a type of brew) is always running in Chu Xun's house.
Prices have soared in recent years, and alcohol prices have followed suit.
Even though a jar of Yu Nian Niang costs three taels of silver, Li Guangmao was reluctant to buy more.
After finishing their own drinks, they come to Chu Xun's place to mooch off him.
He didn't drink for free; he helped transport charcoal and haul iron billets, never accepting any payment.
Chu Xun sighed, "At your age, you should drink less."
Li Guangmao still smiled and said, "Just a little drink, just a little drink."
Soon after, Liao Licheng arrived.
Chu Xun cooked a few dishes and they had a meal together.
After finishing his drink, Liao Licheng had already forgotten that he had come to urge Chu De to practice his swordsmanship.
After seeing the father and son off, the sound of horses' hooves gradually came into view.
"May I ask, is this the residence of Master Chu?"
Chu Xun turned his head and saw a man riding over.
Chu Xun nodded, and only then could the man jump off his horse.
Holding a large package, he said, "This is something that Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Revenue asked me to deliver to Master Chu."
Huan'er came back a few months ago.
I originally intended to visit my uncle, but to my surprise, he was gone, and I found a god-nephew instead.
Huan'er didn't have much doubt about Chu Chen's identity.
Because Chu Xun could easily reveal everything about his youth.
They even know where he peed when he was wearing open-crotch pants.
"Did your uncle tell you all this in such detail?"
"I was afraid you wouldn't believe me, so I told you everything in detail."
"Didn't he say when he'd be back?"
"I doubt he'll be coming back."
Huan'er sighed upon hearing this, never expecting that after their last parting, the person was still alive, but she might never see him again.
Chu Xun then discussed with him wanting the "Star" that Zhang Sanchun had picked up.
Huan'er naturally couldn't agree, after all, it was her parents' token of love, and she had to go back and discuss it with her mother first.
Unexpectedly, Lin Qiaoxi was very generous, saying that it was Chu Xun who pointed out that Zhang Sanchun was the one who picked up the star.
Now that Zhang Sanchun has been gone for many years and Chu Xun is traveling around, it would be better to take this stone as a gift from her as an elder.
As for whether or not she still misses him, Lin Qiaoxi is very open-minded about it.
When a person is gone, everything else is meaningless.
Chu Xun took the package and handed over two taels of silver, saying, "Please accept this, sir."
The man quickly waved his hand and declined, saying, "I am just a lowly official, it is only right for me to do things for Lord Zhang, I dare not accept money."
After saying that, he glanced at the dozens of crows perched on the eaves.
Its enormous size is quite frightening.
"As expected, Lord Zhang's relatives are all extraordinary."
The official bowed and took his leave, then mounted his horse and rode away.
Watching him leave in a hurry, Chu Xun muttered to himself, "It seems that the current governance has indeed been effective."
In previous years, which official would have dared not accept silver?
Back when the land reclamation order was first issued, even a lowly land surveyor dared to charge him fifty taels of silver.
It must be said that the two terms of Tang Shijun and Huan'er as Minister of Revenue did indeed bring about changes in Jingguo.
However, Huang Qi is leading his army of refugees to attack in all directions, and it is unknown what will happen in the future.
Once inside the courtyard, I closed the gate.
Chu Xun opened the package, and inside was indeed the meteorite that Zhang Sanchun had picked up.
It was many times heavier than an ordinary iron ingot. Chu Xun carried it to the furnace and said, "Even though it came from outer space, it didn't destroy you. It must be divine iron."
Charcoal was added to the stove, and with a thought, flames appeared.
Fire-starting skill +1
Fire-starting skill 7475/30000: Can produce extremely small flames. In just half a year, the fire-starting skill has been used thousands of times.
Before long, the charcoal was ignited.
Chu Xun stuffed the meteorite iron inside and then began pumping the bellows.
call-
A bellows is used to pump a large amount of air into the furnace, making the charcoal fire burn even more fiercely.
Such a large iron ingot can be heated to red-hot in half an hour, but this piece of extraterrestrial meteorite iron is of extremely high quality, and it took two or three hours to barely change color.
It was already late.
Chu Xun was not in a hurry; instead, his smile widened.
It is indeed divine iron; weapons forged from it will surely be able to withstand more metallic essence.
The wind that could disperse the transformed dragon and python was definitely not comparable to the old bat's gale.
Before escorting the road, Chu Xun had to make all the necessary preparations!
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