Chapter 222: Seed Knife

After walking several dozen yards, the group split. The prefectural yamen couldn't accommodate so many idle people anyway. Old Mo, the housekeeper, was just leading the families of the auxiliary army to a designated inn for settlement. More importantly, he was escorting Madam Ying and others to the Grand Administrator of Xiazhou's new residence. According to He Chunhua's prior arrangements, He Yue went to the prefectural yamen, while He Lingchuan accompanied Madam Ying.

About fifteen minutes later, Madam Ying and her son finally arrived at the family's new residence. It was located fifteen yards behind the government office, convenient for the Grand Administrator to commute. Other officials' residences were scattered around, and the Dunyu County Magistrate also lived nearby. There were also two or three rows of official quarters directly behind it. He Lingchuan accompanied his mother, touring the place inside and out. Servants began moving luggage, organizing the interior, and sweeping the courtyard, and the previously empty residence immediately came alive.

The mansion had already been prepared by the provincial government; it was relatively clean, and several servants had been arranged to live there permanently for upkeep. As soon as Old Mo, the housekeeper, arrived, he gave these servants generous rewards and then dismissed them. The lady of the house preferred to use staff brought from their hometown, though they would gradually hire more people later.

For Madam Ying, who had been looking forward to it throughout the journey, this official residence was a great disappointment. Not to mention compared to the Li family's estate, even the silk merchant Hu's residence they had passed earlier was twice the size of the Grand Administrator's mansion. The furniture inside was relatively old, and it was unclear how many previous owners it had seen. Although the wall plaster and roof tiles had just been patched, the covered verandas were still damaged, the bluestones in the courtyard were sunken or collapsed, and even the plants were growing wildly and wantonly. Madam Ying, with her keen eye, even found several wormholes in the leg of a table in the living room. This place fell far short of her expectations; it wasn't even as comfortable as their old house in Blackwater City.

He Lingchuan saw her face getting darker and darker and quickly comforted her: "Don't be angry, Mother. This place is too dilapidated. Throw out what should be thrown out, repair what needs repairing, renovate what needs renovating, buy what needs buying. Father won't be able to say anything against it, so isn't this the perfect opportunity for you to show your skills? Does our family lack this bit of money?" Their mansion in Blackwater City had also been arranged by Madam Ying piece by piece.

Perhaps women are naturally inclined to decorating. Madam Ying thought that once her husband returned, she could complain to him, and then she would have several months to repair the house and arrange it to her liking. Her mood slowly improved. "Who are you calling old?" she retorted. "Why wouldn't our family lack money? Your father is new to Xiazhou, and his entertainment expenses have increased, but his income as a new official has decreased. We should save wherever we can... Hmm, since the ground in this garden has already collapsed anyway, why not dig a deep water cellar? We could freeze some fruits and wine in the summer!"

A water cellar is essentially a pond, but very deep, with the water at least ten feet deep. No matter how hot the summer, sunlight couldn't penetrate to the bottom, so the cellar bottom remained icy cold, perfect for refrigerating food. Additionally, it could store fresh water and serve as a fire hydrant.

Madam Ying's remark that her husband had less money after his promotion was true. He Chunhua was an undisputed local king in Qiansong County, with various sources of income, both legitimate and illicit. Otherwise, how could the meager salary of a county governor support his eldest son's extravagant spending? As for his promotion to Grand Administrator of Xiazhou, it was simply that as a newcomer, it was not appropriate to start profiting illicitly immediately. An experienced hand like He Chunhua would first figure out the local intricacies. Someone like He Chunhua was not only not considered a corrupt official in the Dayuan Dynasty, but rather represented the capable and practical faction. At the very least, he didn't exploit the common people dry. Madam Ying was still very proud of this.

She was also fair to her elder son this time. Even before her husband returned, she assigned He Lingchuan an east-facing courtyard. The two brothers' residences were of similar size, which was a little favoritism on her part.

Madam Ying went off to busy herself. He Lingchuan stepped into his own quarters and saw that the courtyard was smaller than their residence in Blackwater City, but it was still large enough for martial arts practice. A row of peach trees along the wall had grown into old stumps, promising peaches to eat next summer without needing to leave the house. In the courtyard, a large jujube tree was reduced to bare branches in winter. He Lingchuan mused that in a few days, he would build a small treehouse in it for Lingguang, the medicinal ape.

The rock wolf also followed him in, sniffing left and right, unable to shake off its canine habits. He Lingchuan kindly asked it: "Lu Xin, should I build a small wooden house for you in the courtyard too?" "Good..." Lu Xin was about to agree when he suddenly realized something was wrong. "No! Do you take me for a dog, to make me sleep in a doghouse?" A wooden house was indeed a doghouse. Facing its low growl, He Lingchuan shrugged: "Then sleep in the lounge. Go to the latrine to relieve yourself, not in the courtyard! And no peeing by the wall!" Lu Xin gnashed his teeth. This was too difficult for a wolf.

The facilities inside the house were complete, but according to Madam Ying's temper, everything would be thrown out or changed. Old Mo, the housekeeper, had already sent someone to deliver a charcoal brazier, hot water, and a tea tray. Just as He Lingchuan brewed himself a cup of hot tea, a sound came from the courtyard gate.

"Master, it's me," a voice called. From the voice, he knew it was Li Fubo. "The door's not closed, come in."

Li Fubo entered. He Lingchuan smiled: "Didn't you go to the prefectural yamen to see the excitement? I really wanted to go." "No. The Marquis has already gone and instructed me to come here first to do something for you." "Do something?" He Lingchuan didn't immediately grasp it. "Plant the blade."

He Lingchuan slapped his forehead: "Even Marquis Songyang is more attentive than I am!" This master was indeed quite carefree. "The precious blade needs to be left undisturbed for half a month; it cannot be moved during this time. Is this place convenient?" "This will do," He Lingchuan said, rubbing his hands, unable to hide his excitement. "Come, let me witness the Songyang Estate's blade-planting technique."

Li Fubo first took out something and handed it to him: "This has been repaired. Please hand it over to your father." He Lingchuan saw it was the walnut boat, officially called the Mustard Seed Boat, which he had used to crush Dong Rui's demonic ape last time and had broken. "Repaired so quickly? Truly worthy of Master Li!" Praising cost nothing, so he could do it effortlessly. Li Fubo smiled: "Our Marquis repaired this himself." He Lingchuan let out a long "Ohh": "I will definitely tell him." He thought to himself, 'Mother is definitely going to be furious.'

Li Fubo took out a copper furnace from his storage ring, threw it onto the ground, and muttered a few incantations. The palm-sized copper furnace transformed into one that was taller than a person. He Lingchuan was already accustomed to such techniques from the Songyang Estate.

"Master, step back a few paces." He Lingchuan stepped back as instructed. Li Fubo patted the furnace body, and the lid folded open in four directions. Immediately, a powerful surge of hot air blasted forth. Even a dozen feet away from the furnace, He Lingchuan felt waves of intense heat. In such a spacious room, the temperature rose by at least five degrees. One must know, this was the result of Li Fubo carefully controlling the furnace temperature. Otherwise, if the true fire were to surge, the wooden bed and counter would instantly ignite. With the lid folded open, the furnace body transformed into a platform, convenient for the craftsman to operate.

He Lingchuan's first glance landed on the gold clay. Its color had now changed from a bright gold to a dark gold with black, with hints of eerie green and goose yellow in some corners, resembling a charcoal pile in the countryside that had been visited by cats, dogs, and geese... It was completely unlike its former beautiful appearance. However, as Li Fubo brought the heat under control, the most immediate change was that its volume more than doubled. Although it remained solid, small lava bubbles occasionally emerged from its surface, with dark red liquid slowly flowing inside, even emitting a red glow from the cracks in its clay shell. In simple terms, it resembled a piece of constantly burning lava.

He Lingchuan humbly asked: "How does it work? Where is the Wu gold?" "The Wu gold has already melted into the gold clay, along with seven other ingredients," Li Fubo said earnestly. "Two of them were specifically instructed by the Marquis. As for the exact formula, please forgive me, but I cannot disclose it." "The Wu gold has melted?" He Lingchuan asked, surprised. "I thought the Essence of Gold was the hardest substance in the world; it couldn't be melted without ten days to half a month of heating, and then only with the aid of lightning strikes!" "True gold fears no fire," Li Fubo smiled slightly. "Unless there's a catalyst."

Then he took out two fist-sized pieces of Wu gold and handed them to He Lingchuan: "These are the leftover materials. Please keep them safe." Don't underestimate these two so-called scraps; they were still several times more expensive than gold of the same volume. He Lingchuan received and put them away. From this, it was clear how carefree Li Fubo was. He didn't even ask He Lingchuan to witness the melting of the Wu gold firsthand. Young Master He had indeed said that Li Fubo could manage the whole process, but without personally witnessing the gold melting, who knew if Li Fubo had skimmed anything off the top or enriched himself? After all, the Wu gold He Lingchuan bought was so large, and it was being melted down; no one would know if a piece or two were stolen.

"As you know, I began refining the Wu gold in Ruxian County. The process of slow-roasting and forging with a hidden fire couldn't be interrupted, and it took a lot of effort to transport it in the carriage," Li Fubo said, pointing at the internally burning gold clay. "The Wu gold is the most important material for planting the blade. It must completely fuse with the gold clay as a medium before it can be absorbed by the precious blade. Its temperature is now rapidly dropping, so you can begin the planting." "How exactly do I plant it?"

Next, He Lingchuan removed the wrapping from the blade's hilt and cleaned the hilt's surface with a liquid handed to him by Li Fubo. He didn't know what it was, but after pouring it on, it sizzled, and blue smoke rose. The hilt was corroded into a thousand holes, like a honeycomb. He Lingchuan felt a pang of distress watching it, but Li Fubo said: "Bleed, and cover the hilt completely."

This step was called "feeding the blade" and required the owner's fresh blood. Fortunately, it wasn't a matter of taking heart blood. He Lingchuan took a small knife, pricked his ring finger, and drops of fresh blood fell onto the hilt, filling the small holes. "Spread it evenly."

He Lingchuan followed suit, but soon discovered that the hilt, like a sponge, completely absorbed the blood. The speed could only be described as ravenous. He simply made a large cut on his arm to increase the blood flow. The broken blade was equally unceremonious, drinking as much as it could, showing no hesitation in draining him dry.

Li Fubo also watched intently. He Lingchuan fed it for a long time, feeling uneasy, and couldn't help but ask: "Hey, is this normal?" "No, it's not normal." Li Fubo's reply made He Lingchuan's heart skip a beat. "The other precious blades I've planted consumed at most twenty percent of the blood this one is taking. But since it's come to this, you should satisfy it." A precious blade so bloodthirsty, especially for its owner's blood, was something he had never seen before.

Chapter 223: Planting the Blade.