Knife splashing

Chapter 302 Wuchang Palace
The courtyard was filled with Master Lu’s disciples.

They were all strong and powerful, wearing only coarse sweat shirts. Even though the evening breeze was a little chilly, they were still sweating all over.

There are also a variety of tools in the hospital.

Someone was grinding iron tools beside the roller, sparks of fire were flying...

Someone was forging iron by the stove, hammers clanged down...

There are also many pottery jars on the ground, containing different liquids, some for quenching and some for soaking.

In addition, there are leather workers and carpenters. Although the courtyard is busy, it is well organized and not chaotic at all.

After seeing this, Li Yan couldn't help but praise in his heart.

He has a good relationship with the shopkeeper Wan of "Wensheng Pavilion", who is the elder of the Chang'an Craftsmen's Guild. They chat with each other on weekdays and he has some understanding of this industry.

There are many types of craftsmanship. Although they are called the eight trades in the world, there are actually far more than eight trades. For example, leatherworkers and paper-making craftsmen are not included.

Because of this, it is difficult to divide this industry into different levels.

A Xuanmen mason who has mastered the Lu Ban method is important, but his status will not be substantially improved. Instead, he will be guarded against...

But a craftsman who can lead a team to build a large-scale building can be called a master even if he is an ordinary person...

No matter how exquisitely the leather goods are made, they can only make a small fortune at best. But if you know the secret techniques, you can definitely build a career...

In short, this industry values ​​scarcity more.

To be called a master, it is not only about your skills, but also about your ability to manage a team of craftsmen.

After all, in this era, large-scale manual methods have emerged, and speed and efficiency have become the key points for measuring strength.

Just like this Master Lu.

He himself is a Xuanmen craftsman, skilled in making all kinds of armor and weapons. He has both leatherworkers and carpenters under him, all of whom master the Xuanmen secret techniques.

Being able to participate in the construction of the observatory, you can imagine his ability!
His subordinates and disciples are also extraordinary.

When Li Yan and his companion entered the yard, no one paid any attention to them. All of them were concentrating on their work and seemed to be immersed in it.

Hu Ming made a hushing gesture, and Li Yan immediately understood. He shut his mouth, walked lightly, and did not disturb anyone.

He saw the skin of the earth dragon, which had been cut and divided, and a leatherworker was brushing an unknown liquid on it layer by layer.

The leather lining has become dark and smooth...

He saw the accessory stock of the new musket. The frame had been made, and a craftsman was polishing the keel in preparation for inlaying.

The dragon bones have also been processed and are smooth and delicate, with a texture similar to ivory and the warmth of jade...

Of course, this is just outside the hospital.

The several open rooms were also brightly lit with candles.

There were several large square tables scattered in various corners. Some obviously older craftsmen were working on some delicate items with tweezers and hammers.

Sharifei was among them.

The old man seemed like a different person, with his eyes wide open, holding a small drill in his big hands, and drilling a hole in a copper pipe.

This situation is very similar to Zhang Fei threading a needle.

He was so focused that he didn't even notice Li Yan's arrival.

Bang!
At this moment, there was a sudden explosion in the furnace in the distance, followed by charcoal and fireworks gushing out, scaring the craftsmen into quickly dodging.

Master Lu, who was also busy, came out quickly and cursed after seeing it: "There is something wrong with this batch of jujube charcoal. You must be blind to not look carefully when you bought it!"

After saying that, he pushed the somewhat panicked disciple away.

He took up a ceramic bowl from the table, filled it with well water, and took out a yellow talisman from his bosom. He stepped on the steps and chanted: "Master Xueshan, the snow gate is open, Master Xueshan, the snow is coming... I am obeying the order of Taishang Laojun, and I will obey your orders immediately!"

Call ~
After the spell was finished, the yellow talisman spontaneously ignited without wind.

Master Lu threw the burning talisman paper directly into the water, stirred it with his fingers, then drank two mouthfuls and spit three times into the air.

Puff, puff, puff. The mist is surging.

A chill suddenly rose throughout the courtyard, as if the Dragon Boat Festival had suddenly turned into the coldest time of the year.

Master Lu was surrounded by a chill, and even his clothes and eyebrows were quickly covered with white frost.

He walked to the furnace mouth in two or three steps, ignored the gushing flames, reached out and pulled out a red-hot iron block from it, and without saying a word, picked up the hammer and started forging it.

This thing should be a component of a new type of firearm.

It had become somewhat distorted in the furnace, but after being forged, it gradually regained its shape...

Snow Mountain Method?
When Li Yan saw it, he immediately thought of a famous magic.

This technique, as its name suggests, is used to create low temperatures. It is circulated in different lineages and has different applications.

For example, among the craftsmen of Luban Method, it is used to prevent burns or to quickly cool down some things...

In the business of eating the dead, it is used to preserve corpses when the weather is hot...

In other traditions, it is used to treat burns and boils...

Although it is an auxiliary technique with little lethality, due to its practicality, the sound of the wind is quite loud.

After salvaging the parts, Master Lu casually tossed the hammer to his disciple and frowned, saying, "Don't open the furnace tonight. We'll do it tomorrow when we have the right charcoal!"

Naturally, Sha Lifei had also arrived at the courtyard. After Master Lu finished his work, he came over excitedly and said with a grin, "Brother Yan, Guishan is showing his power. It's spreading everywhere now!"

Li Yan laughed in silence and asked, "How is Uncle Sha? Is he alright these two days?"

"What could possibly happen to him?!"

Master Lu also came over and glared at Sharifei, "This kid is very cunning and shameless. He can't be driven away."

Sharifi didn't care at all, and laughed, "That's because you are so generous. Besides, I am just helping you, Old Sha. I can't learn your skills even if you teach me."

"Humph!"

Master Lu snorted coldly, but didn't care about it anymore. He turned his head and said to Li Yan: "The other things are not ready yet, but the drawings have been drawn. If you want, come and have a look."

After saying that, he took Li Yan into another room.

This was obviously a rest room. On the table were things like Lu Ban rulers and charcoal pencils, as well as a pile of rolled-up scrolls.

He spread out the drawings and explained them one by one.

"The leather armor is made according to your request. I made four pieces of soft armor that fit your body. I also used the gold thread weaving method. Although the weight has increased, it can protect your internal organs..."

"This is your full body armor. It is the most difficult to make. You have to wait until the day of the 'Sharpening Rain' before you can continue refining it..."

"I made four muskets, and modified each one according to Sha's request..."

This Master Lu is indeed extraordinary.

The "Thunder and Fire Sutra" they obtained only contained drawings of new muskets, long and short guns, which were obviously the standard weapons of the imperial court.

However, Master Lu made changes based on his personal characteristics.

The pistol made for Li Yan was a pistol with a loading method a bit like a French cannon. It was equipped with ten magazines, which were loaded in advance and replaced during combat, making it much faster than a flintlock musket.

More importantly, this thing is extremely powerful, with a long and narrow barrel inlaid with dragon patterns, and is good at close-range combat...

The pistol made for Wang Daoxuan was also a pistol, but the barrel was much smaller, making it suitable for close-range self-defense.

As for Lu San, he sent the bone firearm. This thing was extraordinary, and the mechanism was very clever. Master Lu modified it and made it into a cluster bomb loading method...

As for Sharifei, he modified the Duweisi's spear, covered its appearance, and lengthened the buttstock to better match Sharifei's body shape...

In addition, there are some small gadgets.

These things can also use new types of gunpowder, such as the modified fire caltrop. Sharifei has been learning how to make it these days.

"Thank you, Master."

After reading it, Li Yan was delighted and immediately bowed to express his gratitude.

"Alright, alright." Master Lu waved his hand impatiently, "Now that you've seen it, don't bother us anymore."

"Young Master Li, please come this way."

Seeing this, Hu Ming quickly raised his hand and motioned Li Yan to follow him and leave.

Li Yan had no choice but to hand over the gift in his hand, "Uncle Sha, there are some rice dumplings and lotus leaf chicken in it, as well as some cakes. Share them with the brothers when you have time."

Sharifei gave him a reassuring look, took the things, and continued to work at the table.

It can be seen that even with such an outstanding team, if they want to catch up with the "sharpening rain", these people have to work day and night...

…………

"This time, it's all thanks to Young Master Li."

Arriving in another courtyard room, Hu Ming immediately clasped his fists and said, "The palace has sent someone to find us. We will go there tomorrow to discuss and purchase the crystal."

"Oh, they are quite quick." Li Yan was a little surprised. He didn't expect that King Wuchang would immediately give in as soon as Baotong Temple greeted him.

Hu Ming didn't seem surprised, he smiled and shook his head and said, "This prince is very smart and knows how to do things. If I'm not mistaken, it will be the prince who entertains us tomorrow."

"we?"

Li Yan frowned, "I want to go too?"

Hu Ming nodded and said, "The people in the palace have also invited the young man. It seems that the King of Wuchang is already helping the prince lay the foundation."

"The court pays attention to the balance between Buddhism and Taoism, so even if our Taixuan Orthodox Church is the state religion, Your Majesty will not neglect Buddhism. On the contrary, he will rely on it more."

"The King of Wuchang believes in Buddhism, but the status of Zen Buddhism in the three towns of Wuchang is already too high. If nothing unexpected happens, there will definitely be some changes after the Crown Prince takes the throne."

"As for Young Master Li, you have shown your potential in the Guishan Arena. The Prince of Wuchang may not recruit you to the palace, but he will not ignore you either."

"Go ahead, young man. Tomorrow's matter has already been decided. It's just a formality. Maybe there will be some benefits..."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and nodded, "Okay."

He is not a fool, so Hu Ming's judgment should be correct.

As his small team improves, his worth will naturally increase, and his customer base will inevitably change.

The reason is simple: cost-effectiveness.

If it is a major event, the local wealthy businessmen will report it directly to the City God Temple, and the local Xuanmen orthodox religion will choose to take action to maintain stability.

If it is a small matter, ordinary witches, sorcerers or monks can solve it, and there is no need to spend a lot of money to hire them.

Therefore, the jobs they will take on in the future will be more expensive, but will also definitely be more complicated and dangerous.

As for minor matters involving the common people, it doesn't matter if I don't charge any money. I can't afford it anyway. I can just consider it as being chivalrous and righteous and gaining reputation in the process.

Therefore, the customer base must also be expanded.

Meeting the prince in advance is just to expand my network...

…………

It was late at night, so Li Yan did not return to the city. Instead, he stayed in Yuquan Temple for one night. The next morning, he went to Wuchang with Hu Ming.

When we arrived outside Wuchang city, it was already dawn.

The city gates had already been opened, and the riverside pier was crowded with people.

The long and narrow dragon boats had already been placed on the riverside.

These dragon boats had already been consecrated and their eyes were painted, and now they were being launched for the race, so some small ceremonies also had to be performed.

Seeing Li Yan looking up, Hu Ming smiled and said, "Don't worry, Young Master Li. I've already inquired about it. Those who competed these days are all from counties and small forces in Ezhou. It's not that lively."

"After the 15th day of the fifth month, the strongest players in each group will be selected. That's when the fierce competition will begin."

Li Yan took a look and found that it was true.

Those dragon boat sacrificial ceremonies were presided over by the elders of villages in each county. The dragon boats were somewhat old-fashioned in style and could not be compared with the one belonging to the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce.

Those watching around were all citizens of the city.

Of course, in this situation, everyone knows that the evil spirit may take the opportunity to cause trouble, so not only are there soldiers patrolling on the shore, but there are also naval warships on guard on the river.

There were even more people from the Law Enforcement Hall and the Military Command hiding in the crowd, with sharp eyes, looking around for suspicious people.

Li Yan also saw that some people from martial arts sects were also sent out to cooperate with the court in the search.

The entire Wuchang force has been mobilized. Coming openly would definitely mean death. Who knows how those evil people will choose to destroy the ceremony...

Without stopping for too long, the team went straight into the city.

When Hu Ming came to the house, it was obvious that he also had the intention of building a good relationship, so he prepared two large trucks full of gifts.

Li Yan had an idea and went back to the Chamber of Commerce. After reminding Lu San and Wang Daoxuan to be careful, he took something out of his bag.

It was the crystal dinosaur egg.

The spiritual charm of this thing has dissipated, but it is still a treasure.

Everyone knows that King Wuchang loves to collect treasures. Depending on the situation, he will give these things away or sell them to avoid them taking up space.

Of course, it was still early, so everyone waited for a while, and only arrived at the palace after the Chenshi (07:09 to :).

This time it was arranged in advance, so the people in the palace were naturally well prepared.

Hu Ming handed over the visiting card, and immediately a steward from the palace came to greet him.

Entering through the side door, Li Yan finally saw the appearance of the famous Wuchang Palace.

The Wuchang Palace does not have a typical central axis structure. Instead, it has a huge lake, a horse racing and military training ground, and a garden on one side, and the main hall, ancestral temple, and ancestral hall on the other side.

The rear hall and the bedroom occupy the back half of the palace.

Its red walls and yellow tiles are magnificent. Among the towering treetops, tall pavilions with flying eaves and brackets can be seen, and palaces are scattered and lined up one after another.

Li Yan and others were not officials, so they were not taken to the main hall of the palace, but to the garden.

Along the way, you can see beautiful gardens with luxuriant flowers and trees, the lake is shimmering, and there are waterside pavilions and elegant terraces.

Entering a small building facing the lake, the palace steward sent someone to serve tea and said with a smile: "Please wait for a moment, the prince has something to do today, and the prince will be here soon."

After saying that, he bowed slightly and walked away.

Li Yan drank a sip of tea, stood up and walked to the window. He looked out along the carved window and saw the flourishing flowers and plants and the clear lake. He couldn't help but say, "This palace is really extraordinary..."

He has supernatural powers and can detect many secrets.

This palace may seem beautiful, but it actually hides murderous intentions...

　Second update at 12 o'clock
　　
　
(End of this chapter)