People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

"Who are you? This is military camp, trespassing is a serious crime. Leave immediately!"

The Black Ironclad Army is entirely covered in black iron armor, and like the royal guards, they wear iron armor masks with taotie patterns, making them awe-inspiring at first glance.

Cao Ze cupped his hands and said, "I am Cao Ze, and I have come to pay my respects to Gongshu Chou, the head of the Gongshu family."

The scout captain and the scouts behind him were all surprised.

There wasn't much entertainment during the military's downtime. The good thing was that alcohol was loosely controlled, so apart from fighting and secretly drinking, there was hardly anything fun to be had.

Since last year, there have been more discussions about "Journey to the West".

Some soldiers who entered the city would vividly recount the stories they had heard in the city to the troops in order to get drinks.

Therefore, Cao Ze's name was not unfamiliar to soldiers in various places.

"Please come with me, sir."

The scout captain dismounted and respectfully led Cao Ze to the Gongshu family's encampment.

Although the Xianyang Armory was a key military location, it was not heavily guarded. From time to time, qualified merchants from various places would come to buy inferior weapons and sell them at high prices to the grasslands and other countries to make huge profits.

Cao Ze followed the scout captain to the front of the Gongshu family's camp. Along the way, he chatted with the scouts with a smile and answered some strange questions, such as why Sun Wukong didn't do *that* after immobilizing the seven fairies, what the peaches of immortality taste like, and whether the wine in heaven is good.

After the scouts delivered Cao Ze to the Gongshu family's camp, they had no choice but to leave and report back to the army.

Looking at the bronze gate, Cao Ze couldn't help but marvel at the sheer extravagance of the Gongshu family.

This massive bronze gate must weigh at least 20,000 to 30,000 kilograms.

What puzzled him was that no one had come out of the open bronze gate yet.

He looked around, but there wasn't a soul in sight.

Just as Cao Ze was about to go in, the Taotie beast head on the bronze gate suddenly glowed red.

Then Taotie spoke up: "Is this Mr. Cao Ze?"

The sound was like bronze being rubbed together, sounding very harsh and grating, making people extremely uncomfortable.

Cao Ze smiled faintly: "The Mohist mechanism makes wood and stone walk; bronze can speak, so ask Gongshu."

"Now that I see it, it is indeed extraordinary."

He still doesn't know how the Gongshu family got bronze to talk; it's a bit fantastical, no, it's a bit futuristic...

"Hehehe..." A slightly hunched figure emerged from the shadow of the bronze gate.

"It's rare to receive praise from Mr. Cao Ze. I'm truly honored..."

Gongshu Chou moved his newly replaced bronze left arm, his laughter high-pitched.

"I apologize for this intrusion and hope that the head of the Gongshu family will forgive me."

Cao Ze focused his gaze on Gongshu Chou's back, eager to know what treasures were hidden behind the bronze gate of the Gongshu family.

According to the scouts, outsiders were not allowed to enter the Gongshu family's residence, not even Lord Changping, who was in charge of the armory.

"Please forgive me, please forgive me..." Gongshu Chou squinted his tiny, beady eyes and looked at Cao Ze as if he were examining a treasure.

Cao Ze felt somewhat uncomfortable under their gaze.

Gongshu Chou changed the subject, saying, "I wonder what brings Mr. Cao Ze to see me?"

Cao Ze frowned inwardly; it seemed that this old man had some scheme in mind.

He pondered for a moment and said, "I would like to ask the head of the Gongshu family for a favor: to have a silver cage made of silk threads crafted."

"Of course, of course..." Gongshu Chou agreed without even asking any questions.

Cao Ze tentatively asked, "Does the Gongshu family head require any reward?"

Gongshu Chou smiled and said, "There is indeed something. If you can tell me, I will personally craft what you want."

Cao Ze breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of making demands; he was afraid of not making any demands at all.

"Please ask, Master."

Gongshu Chou's expression turned serious. "I once saw the donkey cart you were riding, sir. I wonder who made it?"

He was confident that his skill in mechanical arts was among the top three, if not the best. How could he not see that Cao Ze's donkey cart was made using mechanical techniques?

Most importantly, he had never seen such a mechanism before.

If he hadn't been so busy with other matters, he would have already visited Cao Ze.

Cao Ze thought to himself, "No wonder the way she was looking at me was strange; she's got her eye on my car."

"It was made by a man named Uncle Lü from the Western Regions."

Cao Ze readily told him, since Old Man Lü hadn't asked him to keep it a secret anyway.

“Uncle Lü…” Gongshu Chou frowned; he had never heard of this person before.

"How could people from a small country in the Western Regions possess such profound skills in mechanical arts..."

Gongshu Chou muttered to himself for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

Cao Ze thought to himself, "If the God of War were placed in front of you, you'd go crazy..."

"Would you be willing to take me to meet that old man, Mr. Lü?"

"I don't know where he is now. This donkey cart is just a product of a chance encounter."

After Cao Ze finished speaking, a thought struck him: he wondered if Old Man Lü had settled in that border town yet.

He hadn't forgotten that the old man had a metal egg that could transform.

The mythical beast Pixiu! If we had this little guy, even Donghuang Taiyi could be killed with a single slap.

Most importantly, this mythical beast is suspected to be related to the secret of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions.

Gongshu Chou hesitated, his eyes darting around.

He's no pushover; he wouldn't listen to Cao Ze's one-sided story.

However, they were wary of Cao Ze, who was highly regarded by the King of Qin and had a good reputation among the seven states, so they dared not easily take action to arrest him.

"...Let's leave it at that."

Gongshu Chou probed indirectly, "Young friend, do you have any intention of searching for this person?"

Cao Ze could guess what Gongshu Chou was planning even with his toes.

No wonder he was completely outmaneuvered by Tianming in the original story; he seemed shrewd, but he was actually a fool.

"Of course, but we haven't settled down yet, so we have to put it on hold."

Gongshu Chou smiled and said, "That's good. You can come to me when the time comes, and I will definitely help you."

"sure."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Then about building the cage..."

"Of course, of course," Gongshu Chou readily agreed. "It will be delivered to your residence in ten days at most."

For the Gongshu family, manipulating metals is a piece of cake. They have studied silver before, and drawing it into a silver wire is not difficult, except for the trouble involved.

Cao Ze didn't want to stay any longer, so he said, "I'll send someone to deliver a thousand catties of silver right away."

“Okay…” Gongshu Chou was slightly taken aback: “A thousand catties of silver?”

Cao Ze coughed lightly, "Is the Gongshu family head in a difficult position?"

Gongshu Chou frowned deeply, not expecting so much, but since he had already spoken, he could only accept it.

“It’s nothing,” Gongshu Chou said, sticking out his neck. “See you in ten days.”

Cao Ze bowed and took his leave.

Gongshu Chou let out a slow breath. It seemed he had to get involved too, otherwise ten days wouldn't be enough.

Just as Cao Ze was about to leave the armory, the scout captain, who had just left, rode up to him.

"Sir, sir..."

Cao Ze stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

The scout captain dismounted and said, "Captain Meng wishes to see you, sir."

"Captain Meng?" Cao Ze asked. "Which Captain Meng?"

The current captain is not as lowly as he was later. During the Warring States period, he was basically a high-ranking military officer. In peacetime, he could command at least a thousand soldiers. In wartime, it was easy for him to command twice that number.

Unlike Meng Tian, ​​who was a commander of a thousand men, he could only command a thousand-man army in the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army, whether in wartime or peacetime.

He was practically a reserve officer for a general.

The scout captain said, "Which Captain Meng could it be? He must be from the Meng family."

Cao Ze immediately thought of Meng Tian's father, Meng Wu.

Because Meng Tian rarely mentioned his father, he knew little about Meng Wu, only that he was famous in the Qin state for his bravery.

"Meng Wu of the Meng family greets Mr. Cao Ze."

Meng Wu and Meng Tian looked exactly alike, both possessing heroic and martial appearances.

However, Meng Wu was more mature and more robust than Meng Tian.

Cao Ze stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Uncle Meng, how can you greet a junior like this? If Brother Meng knew, wouldn't he blame me?"

Meng Wu laughed heartily, "Meng Tian is lucky to have a friend like you."

After learning about Cao Ze from Meng Tian, ​​he paid close attention to him and, after some inquiries, discovered that Cao Ze's future was almost entirely smooth sailing.

But that was on the premise that Lü Buwei would withdraw.

Otherwise, some well-informed officials and dignitaries in Xianyang would have already been secretly communicating with Cao Ze and frequently visiting him to cultivate a closer relationship.

However, the Meng family did not have this concern.

Meng Tian had already made his choice to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, so he naturally wouldn't avoid contact with Cao Ze to avoid suspicion.

Moreover, he was subordinate to Lord Changping, so Lü Buwei couldn't do anything to him.

Cao Ze first exchanged a few polite words with Meng Wu, and after they became acquainted, the two began to talk freely.

Cao Ze thus learned that Meng Wu originally belonged to the lineage of Lord Changping.