Collapse Iron: The Five Heroes of the Clouds Won't Let Me Go

"General, you don't know this, but I ate a lot when I was little. When I was full, I had energy. I was born strong!"

This flimsy excuse did not arouse Huaiyan's suspicion.

"I'd heard from your master Yaofeng that you were born with superhuman strength, but I never imagined you possessed such power!"

Huaiyan's love for talent immediately arose.

"With such divine power, you are truly a born forger! However, your technique is still too immature, but Mozi has laid a good foundation for you!"

"Cheng Xiao! Study hard! You will definitely be able to learn my skill. I thought it would take a long time to find a successor, but now there is an unexpected surprise."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiao felt it was very troublesome and quickly declined, saying, "General, I will only stay here for half a month. During this half month, I will definitely devote myself to learning. If I fail, I can only wait until I have more free time later."

"Hey! You little rascal, I didn't expect you to have this talent before, only saying it was half a month. Now that I've discovered it, I'm not going to let you get away!"

"If you don't learn it, you don't need to go back to the barracks. I will tell General Teng Xiao."

Cheng Xiao cried out urgently, "No! General Huaiyan, the Luofu army still needs me. I cannot stay in Zhu Ming for long!"

"What's so necessary about it? War isn't something you can control alone. Losing one of you won't have a big impact. Enough nonsense! If you learn it, I'll naturally let you go."

"It's a deal!"

Cheng Xiao could only try his best to learn it within half a month, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hand it in, as there were still four people at home who needed to be fed.

Huaiyan began to instruct Chengxiao on hammering techniques: "Kid, you are strong. What others need to exert all their strength to do, you need to control. Being able to break iron means that you can compress iron, even to the point that I cannot do."

Following Huaiyan's guidance, Cheng Xiao learned very quickly and successfully forged an iron ingot in just one morning.

Many craftsmen around him praised his talent, saying that if Cheng Xiao could specialize in metallurgy, there was even hope that another craftsman of the same level as Huai Yan could emerge!

He readily accepted empty praise and compliments, then dismissed them as nothing.

"Alright, alright, you guys calm down for a bit. Cheng Xiao, the food in the cafeteria should be ready by now, go eat, forging requires the most energy."

"OK."

Finally, it was mealtime. Although Cheng Xiao didn't feel tired, the mental boredom and the emptiness in his stomach were still quite uncomfortable.

To avoid attracting attention, Cheng Xiao found a small table in the corner and started eating. He was surprised to find pink cushions at the place where Zhu Ming and his group of roughnecks were.

"Um... hello, you're sitting in my seat..."

"Huh? Isn't this a public seat?"

"No...no, my seat cushion is here, I usually sit here..."

Cheng Xiao looked up and saw a frail-looking black-haired girl in front of him, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Sorry, sorry, that's why there was a pink seat cushion, I'll get it now..."

"I'm sorry! I've caused you trouble!"

As if triggered by a shock, before Cheng Xiao could finish speaking, the girl bowed and apologized.

"Um, I'm the one who should apologize."

"No...it's my fault. You're right. The seats are public, and I shouldn't have used the cushion to reserve a seat and caused trouble for others..."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Look, not many people come to this corner. If you often eat here, it's normal for you to do this."

"Really?"

"It's true!"

Cheng Xiao picked up his plate and was about to leave when he discovered that all the other seats were already full.

"Um, you don't mind if I sit across from you, do you?"

"Hmm! Please...please make yourself at home! You don't need to ask my opinion."

Thanks!

The girl was very well-behaved while eating, and she seemed to be a very polite and well-behaved girl. Cheng Xiao even felt that she was a little too quiet.

There are female artisans in the workshop, but they are a minority. The girl in front of you must be a family member.

Cheng Xiao couldn't stay idle. After all, he ate and chatted with Jing Liu and the others every day, and he felt a little uncomfortable eating alone.

"Ugh, I'm so tired. I'll take a shower later."

"Sigh, the food at Zhu Ming's canteen is pretty good. Although it's all very oily and fatty, it's just right for a craftsman!"

Cheng Xiao talked for a while, but the girl didn't react and just kept eating.

After thinking for a while, Cheng Xiao decided to share his thoughts on smelting.

"Forging is really tiring, but every time I see materials full of impurities being purified and refined into beautiful embryos, it makes me feel refreshed."

"Hmm! You think so too?!"

The girl looked up, her eyes filled with the joy of finding a like-minded person.

Having finally discovered the girl's interests, Cheng Xiao began to steer the conversation in that direction.

Lunch ended before we knew it.

The girl glanced at the time and bowed slightly to Cheng Xiao: "Thank you, I had a very pleasant chat."

After a brief thank you, the girl picked up her plate and left.

"What a decisive and efficient girl! Could she be the child of some master craftsman?"

Without thinking further, Cheng Xiao prepared to clear the dishes and leave.

This afternoon I need to set up my dorm room and buy some toiletries.

The person leading Cheng Xiao shopping was a young craftsman, who was quite talkative compared to the young girl.

"Mr. Cheng Xiao! Your talent is truly unprecedented! This is the second time General Huaiyan has praised someone's talent; you've really brought honor to our Immortal Ship's craftsmen!"

"What do you mean? Immortal Ship Craftsman?"

"Yeah! Let me tell you, I saw you sitting with that reclusive girl at noon today, and I thought you were going to challenge her!"

A question arose in Cheng Xiao's mind: Was it the girl from today?

Could you elaborate?

"Of course! You'll have to stand up for us!"

The young craftsman began to recount the story of this extraordinary talent.

"General Huaiyan has countless disciples, but this is the first time he has taken the initiative to accept a disciple and personally teach him, seemingly with the intention of passing on his mantle!"

"No one has ever experienced this kind of treatment before, and many people are very envious and jealous."

"Some people look down on her, while many others admire her like I do. But her personality is really strange; she's aloof and withdrawn. Many people have sought her advice in the past, only to be asked strange questions by her."

"If the answer didn't satisfy her, she would ignore it completely, and eventually no one contacted her anymore. Everyone thought she was a genius with an eccentric personality, aloof and arrogant."

"However, some people didn't know how to speak properly, which angered General Huaiyan, who punished them severely. As a result, no one has any dealings with her now; it's as if the Construction Bureau has a hidden genius."

The young craftsman recounted many stories, his words filled with envy, jealousy, admiration, and above all, a sense of relief.

Cheng Xiao asked, "Why aren't you worried about isolating a genius? If we wait for her to grow up, she might become the general of Zhu Ming in the future."

The young craftsman replied nonchalantly, "So what? Mr. Cheng Xiao, do you know what the greatest regret of a genius is?"

"What?"

"She's nothing but a short-lived creature."